Cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a cultivated shrub that serves as a staple crop for many indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest (The Washington Post). In fact, it is considered the most important plant for numerous indigenous groups. Cassava thrives in both full sunlight and partial shade (Missouri Botanical Garden), making it well-suited to grow in open, disturbed areas. This ability to colonize disturbed areas positions cassava as a key species in ecosystems recovering from natural or human-caused disturbances.

While cassava is primarily cultivated for its starchy roots, its leaves are also edible and offer nutritional value (Latif, 2015). However, both the roots and leaves of cassava contain cyanogenic glycosides—compounds that break down in the stomach to produce cyanide (White, 1998). Because of this, cassava must undergo detoxification before it is safe for consumption. Methods of detoxifying cassava include soaking, roasting, drying, and fermentation, though boiling is the quickest and most effective method (Tewe).

Cassava varieties are generally classified into two groups: bitter and sweet (Leguizamon, 2021). Bitter cassava is more drought-tolerant and easier to grow, but it contains higher levels of cyanogenic glycosides, requiring longer processing times for detoxification. On the other hand, sweet cassava requires more water and is more challenging to cultivate, but it has lower cyanogenic glycoside levels, making it easier to prepare for consumption.

Indigenous groups in the northern Amazon tend to cultivate sweet cassava, while those in the southern Amazon more often grow bitter cassava. Cassava’s versatility in the kitchen allows it to be transformed into a wide variety of dishes, making it an essential food source for countless indigenous people across the Amazon region.

References:

The Washington Post. (2024, May 5). How Ancient Amazonians Transformed a Toxic Crop into a Diet Staple: Indigenous People Devised a Complex Multistep Process of Detoxification. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/05/05/indigenous-amazon-cassava-detoxification-crop/

Missouri Botanical Garden. Manihot esculenta. Retrieved from https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280113

Latif, S., & Muller, J. (2015). Potential of Cassava Leaves in Human Nutrition: A Review. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 44(2), 147-158. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224415000990

White, W.L.B., Arias-Garzon, D.I., McMahan, J.M., & Sayre, R.T. (1998). Cyanogenesis in Cassava: The Role of Hydroxynitrile Lyase in Root Cyanide Production. Plant Physiology. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC35028/

Tewe, O.O. Detoxification of Cassava Products and the Effects of Residual Toxins on Consuming Animals. Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved from